Ever since Ed and I travelled to Vietnam and Cambodia several years ago, I have been trying to prepare some Vietnamese/Cambodian specialties.
I’ve cooked Pho many times (it’s one of my favorite soups) but mostly have made lots of recipes using lemongrass and fresh ginger, which are ubiquitous in Southeast Asian cuisine.
The combination of these two ingredients, (which are easy to find these days), is refreshing, vibrant, citrusy, and they give a real boost of flavor, especially to mild foods such as chicken. Just a few teaspoons of seasoning makes a plain old chicken dinner really easy and yet so interesting and definitely not plain old.
Roast Chicken Breast with Lemongrass and Ginger
2 whole chicken breasts (or use 4-6 whole legs)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh lemongrass
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives (or green scallion tops)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
sprinkle of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup white wine
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the chicken breasts in a roasting pan. Brush the chicken with the vegetable oil. Scatter the garlic, lemongrass, ginger and chives over the chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Roast for another 40-45 minutes or until cooked through (a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast will register 160 degrees), basting once or twice with the white wine. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Makes 4-6 servings